US President Donald Trump has said he ordered the Pentagon to scale back "inappropriate and hostile" military drills with South Korea, hours before the exercises began.

Japan has said security cooperation with the United States and South Korea was "critical" for the region's stability, after US President Donald Trump scaled back military drills with Seoul while hailing his ties with North Korea.

South Korea, like many U.S. allies, has declined to get involved in the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, which began with airstrikes on Feb. 28.

US President Donald Trump said North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un had responded to his recent messages and described their talks as "very positive".

Trump said the North Korean leader has always 'treated me with great respect'. Read more at straitstimes.com. Read more at straitstimes.com.

US President Donald Trump said he was making the situation "much safer" through his ties to Kim, whom he met three times in his first spell in the White House, but has yet to encounter during his second term.

The Blue House said it would continue diplomatic consultations on US-Korea military cooperation related to the Strait of Hormuz, while discussing details on joint military drills with the United States.

US President Donald Trump's announcement comes a day before the start of the annual drills in South Korea, which Pyongyang has decried as dress rehearsals for an invasion.

He called the decision a “propaganda victory” for North Korea’s Kim Jong Un. Read more at straitstimes.com. Read more at straitstimes.com.